TAS 086 : How To Optimize Your Listing For More Sales - Karon Thackston

Every seller wants more sales on their Amazon products.

And one of the simplest ways to get more sales is to optimize the sales copy for your products. What’s sales copy? It’s the text you type into your product listing to tell potential buyers about your product. It may seem pretty straightforward to you, but know this: people like Karon Thackston have built a professional career on learning how to write powerful copy that sells products, and Karon has niched in on Amazon product descriptions as one of the main areas she makes her living. It’s easy to niche because Amazon is so unique in the way its algorithms work. Find out how Karon got started as a copywriter and how she coaches Amazon Sellers to optimize their listings, on this episode of the Amazing Seller.

Do you know the biggest mistakes Amazon Sellers make on their product listings?

It’s wasting their keyword opportunities. Amazon is very, very different than Google or any of the other search engines. Search engines are optimized to find key phrases, but Amazon isn’t, it uses key WORDS. That difference alone could help you increase sales when you tweak your product listings appropriately. So for example, you don’t want to repeat keywords: “Garlic Press, Stainless Steel Garlic Press, Garlic Press Kit”, etc. Once you’ve written a word in your title or keyword areas, that’s all the benefit you’ll get from it, so use different words, vary it up; that way you’ll get the most out of your product listings. That’s just one of the often missed things Karon shares on this episode of The Amazing Seller, so listen to the entire show.

Did you know that your product title serves as keywords too?

That makes a huge difference when it comes to completing your keyword fields. If you’ve already used a targeted keyword in your product title, never, never use it again in your keyword field. You’re wasting valuable real estate that Amazon will search when people are trying to find products. Vary your keywords, get creative, and make sure you’re not duplicating efforts to no avail. Karon is an expert at this stuff and shares a ton of valuable tips in this episode.

What makes one Amazon product title better than another?

Originality. If your competitors all have the words “Teflon, plastic, 6 oz.” in their product title, you should work hard to differentiate yourself from them. It’s not that you don’t have those same qualities for your product, but you want to stand out. When people are scanning the Amazon product listings they begin to scan faster when all the titles appear the same. Your original wording and title could be the thing that makes them stop, look a little deeper, and eventually buy your product instead of your competitor’s. Find out more about making your Amazon Product Title “pop” in this episode.

The best way to use bullets in your product description.

Should your bullets be a listing of features, or benefits? If it’s both, which should come first? How long should an average bullet point be in your product listing? How do the recent changes to Amazon’s product listing format impact your choices regarding bullet points? Does Amazon search your bullet points for keywords? You didn’t know there was so much to consider about something simple like a bullet point within your product description, did you? In this episode of the Amazing Seller you get to learn from a woman who has studied the Amazon algorithms and know the best practices for using bullets effectively. Be sure to listen in to get all her insights.

OUTLINE OF THIS INTERVIEW EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

[0:05] Welcome to this episode and introduction.

[0:30] Introduction to copywriting and today’s guest - Karon Thackston

[2:04] Chit chat with Karon, introduction to optimization of a product listing.

[2:55] How Karon got into copywriting and moved into Amazon listings specialization.

[4:58] How writing with Amazon is a puzzle and how Karon has navigated that maze.

[6:29] What are the main, big mistakes Amazon sellers are making.

[8:32] How Amazon operates very differently than Google.

[9:40] The difference between “keywords” and “key phrases” and why it matters in Amazon.

[11:23] Scott’s experience in making the biggest mistake - don’t repeat keywords.

[12:30] A vital tip on how to use your product title as a keyword term.

[13:49] Do bullets in your description impact keywords?

[17:20] What makes one title better than another - originality and positioning.

[20:56] The power of bundling to differentiate your product.

[23:03] How should you structure the bullets in your product description.

[27:18] Why placing benefits before features could maximize your listing.

[29:40] The place of the product description, what matters and what doesn’t.

[33:42] You can ask the “Seller Central” folks to allow you to use HTML code - and sometimes it will work.

[37:22] Should you ever report violations in other seller’s listings? How to do it wisely.

[39:00] Should you take risks when it comes to pushing the limits on Amazon terms of service?

[41:28] Karon’s books and other resources - and how to contact her.

[45:35] Scott’s wrap-up and take-aways from Karon’s advice.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Amazon Advantage: Product Listing Strategies - Karon’s book (Use the code “Scott20” to get 20% off)

www.MarketingWords.com - Karon’s company website focused on Amazon copywriting

Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop